YEAR 1813

LOCATION: ATLANTIC OCEAN

A strong gust of wind swept across the entire deck, causing loose papers to fly away, mini dust tornadoes to pop up near the sandbag pulleys, and for parents and children alike to huddle back into the safety of the interior of the main deck so they could avoid the steady onslaught of the harsh winds. Kara, however, stood by the railing of the long ship, hands laying on the wooden railing as she basked in the threatening weather. Eyes closed, and a lingering smile on her face as the gusts of wind felt like a gentle breeze and nothing more. She smiled towards the sky, loving the gloomy weather. Clouds overcast across the entire sky, with the sun refusing to peek out. Miles away from their boat there seemed to be a storm brewing above the ocean, and Kara was uncertain if the storm would make its way towards the ship. Although, the idea of heavy rain, thunderstorms, and lightning in the open ocean enticed her, she didn't think the Earthlings would be able to survive such a storm on the sea. Over the course of her stay on Earth, she had learned that humans were a lot tougher than she made them out to be, but in the end – nature always wins.

"Madam," a voice shouted behind her, "The storm is growing strong, it would be best if you sought refuge in the ship," he screamed over the raging storm, but when Kara made no effort to move towards shelter, she picked up on his nearing footsteps.

A smile tugged on Kara's lips, she was certain she knew this voice. It was a hard baritone voice that often lulled her into sleep like a melody. She hadn't heard that voice in over forty years, hell she even convinced herself that meeting up in 1779 was a fluke of fate, and their path would never cross again. But Rao always has a plan, right? She heard the footsteps come to halt behind her, and her smirk grew. It was him, and she knew it.

"Madam, please," he implored.

"I think you are following you me," Kara whispered, still refusing to turn to him.

"Madam, I do not know what you are saying, but please, would please come inside," he pleaded once more.

"First you follow me to Earth, landing the same day as I. Then you come to my little old town in Pennsylvania and are quartered at my neighbors in 1779," she heard a sharp gasp behind her but still continued, "and now you are sailing on the same ship I am," Kara mused, "so yes, I do believe you are following me."

"Kara," he murmured, utterly dumbfounded.

She turned to see that he was completely shell-shocked. Using his brief moment of confusion, Kara let herself take his presence in. He wore a jet black coat, and white tunic underneath his corral green vest. His hair was matted by the humidity that hung in the air. It seemed like his hair was shorter, and Kara thanked Rao that he no longer had the awful ponytail. He looked frozen in the moment, with his eyes wide, and mouth open like he was going to say something, but the words refused to come out. Kara just grinned a thousand watt smile, holding back a chuckle from seeing his completely stunned face. Truth be told, if Kara was on the receiving end of this, she probably would have been stunned as well. But she wasn't on the receiving end. No, she had figured out that it was him, and she found that gloating was a much better alternative. Internally however, it was entirely a different story. How could she even describe it? Downright flabbergasted – that's how she felt. Although there was a small hint of pure, unadulterated happiness that this initial fluke of fate was turning into a pattern. The odds of meeting him should be against her.

She stared at him, hoping that we would finally say something, and she slowly saw a smile crack on his face, as the reality of the moment finally settled upon him, "Hi," he finally breathed out.

"Hi," she giggled, both of them oozing with happiness and laughter. They held each other's gaze, and Kara desired to throw her arms around him and squeeze him tight, but decorum of this century prevented her from following through with that. Her hands fiddled at her sides, not quite sure if she should shake his hand, or just wave instead.

She settled with turning back around to face the sea, and he moved next to her, looking out as well. Kara laid her hands on the railing, and he moved his to rest on top of them as well. One slight movement of either of their pinkies, and their fingers would be grazing – touching each other. The thought sent a jolt of electricity through her, and her face snapped to his. She wondered if he felt the same sensation as she did. This innate pull that she couldn't quite understand. And if he did, he was so much better at masking his emotions than she was. Clearly unable to decipher his emotions, she looked back at the sea, and a silence over took them, not quite knowing how to approach the conversation further.

What were they going to talk about? They had almost forty years to catch up on, but all that just felt trivial right now. The company between them both was more important than catching up. She and Mon-El had spent two weeks together when he was stationed in her town.

Two weeks of them walking around the town, talking about their fond memories of Krypton and Daxam. Two weeks of Elizabeth and Jeremiah asking her when they were going to be married. Two weeks of woman her age giving her jealous stares. Two weeks of them speaking about their dreams, and aspirations before they were marooned on this planet. Kara wanted to be the Explorer Prime, as in the head of the Research Union for Discovery and Exploration of Krypton. While Mon-El wished to be stationed on another planet, and be a Head Marshal where he would lead the exploration and be a liaison between both planets. When Kara asked if he had a specific planet in mind, he always responded with 'Any planet that is not Daxam'. Kara always wished to divulge further into why, but after she saw him react hostility in the bathroom after the mention of Daxam, she didn't want their fun two weeks to be spoiled.

But what Kara remembered the most of those two weeks was that it was the first time she no longer felt alone since being trapped on Earth. Her breath hitched, was she about to feel like that again?

"You're wrong," Mon-El finally broke the silence.

Mon-El turned to her while grinning at her.

"How so?" Kara questioned him, her eyebrows furrowed, genuinely confused about his declaration.

"I'm not following you."

"Really? And how is that so?"

"Well, firstly, Daxam had no idea that Krypton wanted to explore Earth, so really I couldn't have been following you, and second, this is my ship you are on. Therefore, you are technically the one following me if we really wanted to answer that question."

"This is your ship?" Kara asked. She hadn't known the captain or owner of this ship when she boarded it. She was looking for a cheaper fare for passage across the Atlantic Ocean. The nicer cruise lines were affordable, and she would have taken passage on one of those cruise lines but a cheaper alternative popped up and she changed her plan. Perhaps she was stingy? But she preferred to be economically responsible, especially if she had to live for generations on this planet. And the trade war between the countries did not help with fare prices, and she couldn't just spend her pocket change on an extravagant cruise when another ship that did the same job of providing her passage across the Atlantic but at a cheaper price.

"Yes. Bought this ship about five years ago, voyaged across the Caribbean Islands, and the southernmost tips of this continent. You know, explored, as I was sent to do," he looked away sheepishly, "Although I took my time since I have so much to spare," his eyes lit up and he hadn't even gotten to the details, "The islands are beautiful Kara, you must visit them. The weather, the people, the culture… Kara you must voyage their soon. I could not even begin to explain it, I will show you my journal instead. How about you? How many places have you explored?"

Kara felt her cheeks burn, she wasn't quite sure what she was feeling. Nervous? Embarrassed? Ashamed? She hadn't actually done much exploration. The Research Union for Discovery and Exploration wanted reports regarding the species rather than the actual geographical layout of the world. But the Earthlings were spread across their entire planet, and so many different cultures and lifestyles had emerged from their lack of connection and coalition. Earth was one of the few planets that had a divided government, rather than one central one that governed the entire population. Typically, this would be an exciting adventure for Kara. So many different cultures to explore. But Kara just lacked the willpower to actual seek them out. Like Mon-El had said, she had time to spare, so why rush? Normally, explorers spent two years observing and reporting back to the main base on Krypton about the planet they were stationed on. And then the Research Union would decide if further studies were needed, or not. But now she had about two hundred or so years to spare, and she didn't need to rush at all.

"Just the Eastern Seaboard for the North American continent, not much," Kara said, which wasn't a complete lie. She had begun exploring the different cultures across the shoreline, but just gave up, lacking the determination to complete her mission. A different town, a different city, a different location every couple of months. It was a tiring and lonely affair, and having to repeat that process over and over again weighed on her.

"Really! We should compare notes. I covered the Eastern Seaboard about thirty years ago. Began right after the war ended. Well, actually," Mon-El jumbled with his words, he was anxious, and terrified, "I stopped by Philadelphia after the war," he cleared his throat, "to find you. But you weren't there."

Kara felt like the wind was knocked out of her. He actually tried to find her. He went back for her. Kara's heart was racing, and she didn't know why. She cursed her fate for making her leave Philadelphia before Mon-El returned, returned to her. Maybe she would have had a different life for the last forty years? They would have been together, she would have been with him. However fate had a different plant – Rao had a different plan. The town drunk has seen her rescue a little girl from a burning barn, and although his words were not credible, people started whispering about her, and the rumors began to spread. Kara was forced to fake her own death. She used a body from the war as her double, she lit a small shed on fire, and her life with the Danvers was over, and even if she wanted to, she could never look back. Instead she spent the last forty years trying to fill the hollowness that was left in her after Mon-El left her, and when she was forced to leave the Danvers.

"They were close to figuring out my secret," Kara said stoically, trying to suppress the memories of her life with Danvers's from surfacing, and stop the tears from flowing out.

Mon-El just simply nodded his head, not asking further question which she was grateful for.

"Right so," Mon-El tried to change the subject, "I was in the Caribbean when I heard about a man who had discovered atoms and many of their properties –"

"John Dalton!" Kara exclaimed.

"Yes, you heard of him?" Mon-El asked, getting just as excited as Kara.

"Why else would I be on ship heading east? I need to go to visit the man in Manchester. Learn exactly what he knows, and how I can gently push him in the right direction. If necessary," she added the last part after she saw Mon-El's disappointed look, "I am just being a curious and encouraging person Mon-El, not breaking Intergalactic Law by simply guiding a single man in his research that is still centuries away from actually helping us get off this planet."

It took forever for Mon-El to speak again. As if he trying to gauge whether Kara would technically be breaking the law or not…

"Right. Well after being on this planet for almost seventy years, I might want to break Intergalactic Law as well. Maybe I should help you," he mused, and Kara embraced the lightheartedness of his words, "since, you are going to need my help anyway, with fixing your Motherboard –"

"I'm not going to need to your help at all," Kara scoffed. It felt like she was teasing him, but it came off as her being a snobby Kryptonian, even if it was done unintentionally.

"Right…We learned about the Research Union for Discovery and Exploration on Daxam, and as much they loved exploring," he said that word sardonically, "they never really invested in teaching their Explorer's about engineering. The Explorer's Coalition of Daxam thought differently, and I was taught electrical, systemic, and mechanical engineering. But if you don't need my help, I should just leave right now," he started to walk away, but Kara quickly grabbed, and hurtled him into her. Kara didn't even realize that she used her full strength on him.

"Please don't leave me," she choked out, her eyes downcast and her grip on his arm firm.

"Hey. Hey. Kara, look at me," Mon-El cupped her cheeks, trying to get her to look at him, "I was kidding. Of course I am going to help you. I think the Gods would be very upset with me if I didn't help you. And if there were no Gods, I would still want to help you Kara. I would never leave you stranded on this planet. Okay. I would never willingly leave you. I need you to understand that Kara."

His voice and claims slowly soothed her, and Kara weakly shook her head, "Yes, of course," she gently guided his hands away from her face, "I'm sorry. I don't know what overcame me. I'm sorry," Kara choked out a fake chuckle. Hoping that would be enough for him to not press the conversation further, otherwise Kara would be swallowed whole in her own embarrassment. It was just a moment of weakness, brought upon by the talk of Philadelphia. She was reminded of the Danvers, and she had begun to crack against the heaviness of her aching heart. Pain and desperation had trickled into this moment, this moment of weakness.

"So back to John Dalton," she steered the conversation, still avoiding Mon-El's watchful gaze.

It seemed like Mon-El wanted to press her further on this outburst, but Kara only wished to avoid it like the plague. She really didn't understand how Mon-El seemed so much calmer about this entire ordeal than she did. She kept breaking down, and he just remained so whole and composed. How? She wanted to ask him how he did that. But whatever the reason, she did not wish to divulge further into it and hash out old wounds right now. She was happy swallowing her pain, "His theories on atom's look promising, especially his analysis that all matter is composed of atoms. I also want to assess how the rest of the scientific community is reacting to his theory. Especially, considering that he is right, and this planet does not have a good track record when it comes to new discoveries that question their fundamental existence. From the brief headline I saw in the papers, it looked like he is theorizing about the atoms themselves. That atoms having different sizes and masses, and how they can interact with other elements. Earthlings are on the brink of another major discovery, and they have no idea yet. We should really –"

"Kara," Mon-El interrupted her little monologue, "We need to talk about what just –"

"No."

"Kara, please –"

"No, Mon-El," her eyes bore into his, and they refused to look away. Silently trying to remind him of when she stopped asking him question about his opinions on Daxam, and he should return that favor in kind, and stop questioning her about this. But if Kara was stubborn, so was he and they continued to stare each other down.

"Not right now. Please," Kara tried another approach, realizing that Mon-El was going to remain adamant, and wasn't going to forget her outburst no matter how much she tried.

"You were saying," Kara racked through her mind of their conversation before it was derailed when lots of unwanted and surprising feelings came out, "You were in the Caribbean, and you heard about Dalton. If this is a voyaging ship, why are you taking passengers across the sea, huh? Did you do it for the extra money?" Kara jokingly said, albeit still curious about his response. His eyes remained focused on hers, as if trying to determine whether it was worth it to leave the previous conversation behind. Kara promised to return to it later, but would she really? The crinkle that had formed on Mon-El's forehead, the crinkle that screamed how worried he was for her, slowly began to dissipate. As the crinkle straightened, a smile began to form.

He chuckled, "Yes, uhm, about that," Kara was grateful that he decided to move on, although it seemed as if he did move on begrudgingly. Despite his grin and laughter, Kara could see the concern in his eyes.

Mon-El rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about how best to approach this story, "When I heard about Dalton's contribution, I was hesitant to believe that it was true. His theory was correct, but I just thought it was too good to be true. But then I finally got a copy of his book, where he outlined and presented his findings, and I knew for certain that progress was being made. Accurate progress was being made. I realized that I had to meet him, to find out exactly how he figured it out, and what else he might know, and…and just see the scope of what is being uncovered so I can try to determine how long it is going to take before I can finally send a message back to Daxam," Kara heard his breath hitch when he mentioned Daxam. The eyes that refused to look away from her before, finally wavered. He turned towards the ocean, looking at the bleary expanse filled with storm clouds off the horizon and continued to tell his story.

"So I gathered up my crew immediately, and decided to sail off. But in my hurry, I forgot to store up on provisions for my crew. I docked on a North Carolina port, and learned from other Captains that due to the trade war between the United States and the United Kingdoms, cargo ships and other non-passenger ships are more heavily scrutinized at ports and more likely denied passage. But passenger filled ship, they are greeted with more leniency at the docks. So I offered cheap fares to potential passengers, stocked up, made some money, and was ready to meet the man that might help me get off this planet," he turned towards her and smirked, "And getting to see you again just made this entire adventure more pleasant."

"Likewise," Kara snorted, before a giggle escaped her.

"CAPTAIN!" Kara and Mon-El whipped around towards the voice. A boy was standing on the upper deck, yelling down at Mon-El and her, "WE WILL AVOID THE CENTER OF THE STORM BUT WE MAY EXPERIENCE SOME HEAVY RAIN! ME AND THE LADS WILL MAN THE DECK," he yelled above the raging wind. Wind that Kara forgot about it, "WHILE YOU TAKE THE PRETTY LADY TO HER QUARTERS CAPTAIN!" The boy winked at Mon-El, the implication of his statement not lost on Kara. Although the likelihood of anything occurring was zero, but the fact that this boy thought it, and Mon-El didn't out right refute it, caused Kara to blush like an innocent maiden.

The boy chortled as he walked away, clearing noticing that embarrassment on Kara's face.

Kara felt his arm snake around her waist, and his hand was resting near her hip, and he gently tried to tug her towards the entrance of the main deck, "Come on Kara, let us go to my cabin and talk some more."

"Talk? In your cabin?" Kara questioned him. As if the boy assuming something more was going between them wasn't mortifying enough, her being in his cabin would turn the assumptions into half-truths.

"Well, since I actually have tables, and chairs where we can sit and talk freely, unlike in your quarters where there is just a bed. Or we could continue to talk calmly on the deck while a wild storm is raging on because that isn't the least bit suspicious."

A valid point, Kara thought. His hand now moved to the small of her back, gently pushing her to move again. Her back burned where his hand decided to settle. Mon-El was clearly forgetting the proper social etiquette of this time, "and we can have some tea?"

"Tea?" that was the only thing she could say. His hand was clouding her thoughts, and her mind couldn't focus on anything else but the hole that was burning on her back.

"Yes, tea," he laughed, "a drink often served the milk and sugar. I am sure you have had tea before Kara. I do vividly remembering sitting in the parlor room of the Danvers, politely sipping tea as they dropped about a million marriage hints. Pretty sure they had our wedding planned down to the last detail. I think we both drank about three pots of tea each to avoid talking about our impending marriage that day. Although I do believe we would have had the most beautiful wedding in town," he winked at her.

"Oh shut it," Kara bellowed, as she felt blood rush to her cheeks again. She shoved his burning hand off her back, and forcefully nudged him forward, "Lead the way, Captain!"

He walked towards the door, stopping right before it, "On one condition Kara," he turned to face her, while his body rested against the doorframe, "just one condition," he said cheerfully.

"How do you have any sort of upper hand that you think you can lay out a condition," Kara crossed her arms across her chest.

"Well, I am giving you passage on my ship –."

"I paid for passage."

"I am giving you wonderful company," Kara snorted, "…and I actually have a meeting set up with John Dalton, if you wish to come with me."

Kara's eye bulged out, and she gently slapped him. Not possible! How did he manage to do that? It was impossible to determine whether it was a lie or not, but she couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth, "No you don't!"

"Yes I do," he said cheekily, "Written about fifty letters before I got a response. I am still not sure whether he wanted the letters to stop, or was amazed by my profound review of his findings. I guess I will find out soon enough…and you are more than welcome to join me…on one condition."

Kara groaned. There was no way that she was going to get an actual face to face time with Dalton without her pulling some sort of trickery, and now this perfect opportunity just landed in her lap and she couldn't just refuse it out of spite. But what would Mon-El ask for? She couldn't even begin to speculate, but she figured it had to be something bad if he had to lay it out as a condition. Only one way to find out, "What's the condition?"

Kara closed her eyes, preparing for the worst, "Explore Europe with me."

Hope you guys enjoyed it! As always - please ignore mistakes and I will update an edited on later :)